Neal Boortz on Terri Schiavo and the Right to Die

Last night it appears that KOA-AM/KHOW-AM Denver talk show host Gunny Bob Newman changed his mind regarding Terri Schiavo and her husband removing her feeding tube.

I love Gunny Bob, but still Boortz has the right ideal.

I think that I am about the only radio talk show host in the nation that thinks that nature should be allowed to take its course and Terri Schiavo should be allowed to die. Expect an absolute media frenzy today as the time approaches for Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed. The demonstrators are already gathering outside of the nursing facility. Republicans in the congress are getting in on the act. Republican Mike Enzi of Wyoming, The chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, says that he is going to issue a subpoena today to Terri Schiavo ... a subpoena to testify before the committee. This illustrates the absurdity of this situation as nothing else can. Congress will subpoena a woman in a persistent vegetative state to testify. All we need now is for some sort of special arrangement to allow West Virginia's Robert Byrd to question her.

At the center of the Terri Schiavo tragedy is America's anti-abortion movement. Notice, please, the presence of Terry Randall. The fact is that the anti-abortion movement has seized Terri Schiavo ... figuratively kidnapped her .. and they intend to use this woman to further their anti-abortion agenda. They will entomb the soul of Terri Schiavo in her now-useless body as long as it suits their agenda.

The language of those who would continue the imprisonment of Terri Schiavo is odd, if not amusing. She's referred to as disabled, in a coma or just brain damaged. She is not "disabled" in the normal context of the word. Her body is, for all practical purposes, dead ... being kept alive solely through extraordinary artificial means. She's not in a coma. People recover from comas. Her condition is diagnosed as a "persistent vegetative state." There is no medical record of someone coming recovering from a persistent vegetative state. This is not a state of brain damage. It is, for all practical purposes, brain death.

The absurdities of this case would be funny if they weren't so pathetic. Terri's family said last year that they wanted to take her to the mall, and for other field trips. Of course, those trips never happened; just as Terri will never testify before a congressional committee. We also have the blatant attempts to turn the attention away from Terri's condition and to her husband. His crime? He says, and the courts have agreed, that he is merely carrying out wishes expressed t him by his wife. Listen to the Schiavo family and you will hear that her husband her condition was caused by a beating at the hands of her husband. It wasn't. You'll hear that her husband stands to rack up huge piles of money as soon as Terri dies. He won't.

Now put yourself in this position. You're watching TV with your spouse one night and see a show about someone on life support. You tell your husband or wife that you don't want to ever be in that state, and would they please pull the plug should you ever become incapacitated. However, you don't write it down, and apparently don't tell your parents. Tragedy strikes, and only your spouse knows your true wishes. Should your spouse be ignored in favor of your parents who want to keep you alive at all costs?

Michael Schiavo has turned down $10 million to terminate his rights in this case. He says he just wants to do what Terry wanted. Who's right? Doesn't the spouse come before the parents in any marriage? Time for everybody to write down what their wishes are, so this doesn't happen to you.

I'm sure that there is no shortage of people who think that I'm possessed by some evil spirit. No. I'm just sad that Terri's spirit or soul .. whatever you want to call it ... is trapped in this useless body. Her parent's love has clouded their judgment. This can be understood and excused. What can't be excused is the cruelty of the so-called "right to life" movement that will allow this woman to continue to suffer s long as their own needs are met.

Now, a question. How many of you can honestly say that you would like to be kept alive, for 20, 40, 50 years or more like this. If you wouldn't want this for yourself, why do so many of you work so hard to force this reality on Terri Schiavo? Oh .. .I forgot. You're pro-life. Well isn't that special.

There's one more element to the Schiavo case. This is a Florida matter, not a federal matter. The courts of the State of Florida have made their rulings. The U.S. Congress has no role to play here. This is a blatant attempt on the part of the Congress to usurp bona fide state's rights in order to please a particular political constituency.
http://boortz.com/nuze/200503/03182005.html#schiavo

We shall see if this finally comes to an end today.